The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1887-12-17

: mo Himself 4 horse hitchsd to
small truck was to bring US boards an
tim Der. while the men carried wis
rope they could for lowering then
selves from the top of the cliff to Il
1 lume. As the supply of water in tn
reservoir would not last many days,
S was necessary TO speedily repair tn
damage.
9 when we arrived at the break MI
( Baird and one man set off with me {
the lake. to close the gate. leaving tn
| other four to sling the ropes and max
( a small platform TO work on in mid
. air. A great quantity of water ha'
already escaped. and we hurried OF
until we reached the dam and gate.
t 1.-The gate was a rather complicated
affair Of Nj. Baird's invention. and
found, on turning the handle. tina
something wcdged under it allowed il
to close only half way. We were in q
hurry, but none of us wished to jump
down into the current, at the risk Of
being washed away.
"As my canoe was near by, in the
bushes. l resolved to try again a plan
which l had more than once already
~resorted to when alone. Getting it
from its hiding-place. l took the stout.
half-inch. hemp rope that was tied to
it, and hitched the other end to a tree
near by, thus making fast the canoe
in the current directly below the gate.
Taking an axe l then lowered myself
between the cross-pieces into it. and
from this position at once discovered
what was the matter; adrift-stick had
got wedged in the grooves. Two or
three blows sufliced to break it. What
a careless move my next one was!
"Instead of handing the axe to Mr..
Baird, or to the workman, l gave it a
toss, intending it to land on the
ground beyond the flume; but it hit
something that changed its course,
and fell back; the blade struck square
on the rope that held the canoe, and
cut it in two.
Before l could speak. the current
had possession of the craft, and as l
was standing up the cross-piece below
struck me on the back-or rather /
struck the cross.piece-and knocked
me down in the bottom of the skif. l
was not quite deprived of my senses by
the blow. Stunned though I was. the
terrible truth Of what might await me
flashed across me. Not over three
miles below me was the broken place
in the tiume. and, hurried on by the
rapid current, what was to hinder me
from being dashed in pieces on the
rocks three hundred feet below;
81 think my feelings wercsomewhat
like those of a drowning man. Twas
of every thing, could feel
my canoe rubbing against the sides Of
tho hume and see the cross-pleces
speeding backward above me, us l
rushed along under them. The sky
was blue, and here and there l caught
glimpscs of trees which leaned over
The tlume.
THE water swished and foamed rs
it hurried me on. Thoughts of, my
past life, too vivid to be spoken.
dashed on my brain like a panorama.
could not sit up. and the smallness
If the canoe made it impossible for
ne to move sideways. forward, or
backward. l did not see how deliver
possibly could come; l was hclp-
css!
''Frum tho gate To The upper uul Ut
he precipice, where the tlume makes
/ sudden turn, and is built extra
trong to resist tho force of the water,
he distance is nearly two miles, but
t seemed to me scarcely two seconds
before the side thrust of the canoe told
ne that ! was hanging over the edge
# the rocks. OF course it was a longer
ime than that, but minutes and hours
re seconds, when one is bordering on
ternity. !
THE downward pitch there is not =,
o great, but the volume of water in the =,
ume increases. The canoe $ almost .
the cross-picces as it rushed along =,
encath them. The speed was slight !;
diminished, but l knew l was still =.
DING rapidly, too rapidly, feared, to !
opc for deliverance. Yet l now en- =,
Favored to check the momentum by =
against the Shiny sides Of the j.,
ume with my hands. :
Projecting nails tore my palms :
readfullv. l was d%eperate, however, =
nd persisted. not thinking it possible -.
grasp u cross-piece above me, and :,
stain my hold. :
"a few moments spent in these >,
painful efforts passed, then a !,
ull roar broke on my ears, causing y
lie sweat to start from every pore in !
" body! 1t seemed. too, that my y
)ecd increased. With my hands =
lecding, l made II desperate effort TO y
rasp Il cross-piece. but instantly re- >
SO violent a blow on the fore. :,
cad, that l fell quite sensclcss. !,
'Mr. Baird was nearly frantic with IT
,,,,V ,r... H. L. - ~